Taxpayers will have a chance later this year to reconsider building a new school and sports complex in Annandale. The Annandale School District will hold a special election Thursday, Sept. 10, to ask voters to pay for a new prekindergarten through fifth-grade school, tennis courts and five new ball fields for $29,690,000. If the project is approved, voters will have the option of saying yes to a second question for a finished sports complex that would include two more softball fields, bathrooms, a concession stand, lighting and multi-use green space for $2,250,000. Voters in December soundly rejected a $45 million proposal for a new prekindergarten through grade 8 school and athletic complex. At their regular school board meeting Monday, July 22, board members made it clear that replacing Bendix Elementary was a priority over ball fields. "I was more of the opinion that we should ask for it all in one question," board member Mike Dougherty said. "But after hearing the concerns of all the other board members, we wanted to make sure that we were not subjecting the need of the elementary school to those who don’t support the ball fields." If the first question were approved, bids would go out for a new elementary school early next spring with construction starting soon after. The facility would be built on the west side of Bendix and include space for a future addition for sixth through eighth grades. Most of the current Bendix site would be turned into a parking lot, including a separate entrance for buses and cars. The separate entrances would eliminate a safety concern that has long plagued the current facility, Supt. Steve Niklaus said. The $29 million also includes replacing playgrounds and three ball fields that will be lost to accommodate the new building. The fields would be built on land where the city of Annandale’s sewage treatment ponds now sit. They’ll be abandoned after a new treatment plant opens soon. A walking trail would be constructed from the school to the fields. Question No. 1 also includes a new parking lot behind the high school where the west baseball field is now. That field would be replaced in the ponds area. The trail and the parking would lay the groundwork for a complete athletic facility in the future, Niklaus said. Replacing the fields is a necessity for not only the schools’ physical education program but community education’s summer recreation programs as well. "The city already removed a ball field when the fire hall was built and it’s never been replaced," board member Bryan Bruns said. "This community and school cannot go without replacing these fields too." Question No. 1 will also take care of the district’s need for tennis courts. The board on June 22 approved a $20,000 expenditure to fix the current courts at Annandale Middle School to the point where they are safe to play on. Popular program Without the improvements, the popular girls fall tennis program would have had to be cut, Niklaus said. The repairs are good for about three years, which, if question No. 1 were passed, would be right around the time the new courts would be finished. The proposal places the tennis courts just to the west of the varsity softball fields. Finally, a portion of the $29 million would pay for energy- efficient items in the new school and the construction of a pond near the ball fields to catch storm water runoff. If question No. 1 were approved in September, the tax impact on a $200,000 home would be an extra $175 on this year’s school portion of property taxes. Another $21 would be added to the owner of a $200,000 home if question No. 2 were approved as well. If both questions were approved, Annandale would still be the lowest taxed school district in the county, Niklaus said. "I felt that what we did here was boil it down to the absolute needs of the district," Dougherty said. "We lopped off some stuff that can probably be put off, but it is important for voters to know that we still have a long- term plan. We just plan on asking for it in pieces." "I’d ask people to please take the time to educate themselves on the shortcomings of our elementary school facility," board chair Mary Barkley Brown said. "It’s nearly 40 years old and was built with a serious design flaw (the open-air classrooms)." "We also have serious bus and car safety issues that need to be addressed at this time."
